one’s days are filled with
formally clad delegates
discussing current events
t is easy to get lost in and arguing over resoluTHIMUN life. Dur- tions, admins hurriedly
ing the five days that passing on messages
comprise the conference, or guarding doors, and
Sophia Hengelbrok
JFK BERLIN

chairs issuing orders. It
is all too simple to forget
that one will soon have to
leave the THIMUN life,
finish high school and
enter the professional
world. The experience

gained during THIMUN
week influence THIMUN alumni and often
change the course of
their lives.
continued on page 2

faces of the future

Just as The Hague plague infects many
THIMUN participants, so does this deeper
altogether darker illness.

isla mcdougall
bENENDEN SCHOOL

F

or many delegates
THIMUN is the
highlight of their
year; the week when
their passion and interest
can come together to create an explosion of clauses, points of information,
and powerful speeches.
But how do they feel
when it’s all over, when
they are no longer addressed by the name of
their country, and they
don’t have a team of Ad-

min on hand to deliver
their notes for them?
Within THIMUN
participants, this feeling
of emptiness and insignificance is known as
PTD- Post THIMUN
Depression. It will affect
the large majority of delegates who will walk out
the doors of the World
Forum Centre this afternoon, thus once more
becoming regular school
pupils.
continued on page 4
AIS/Tamara Bastaki

delegates come together

On the steps of the World Forum, THIMUN participants represent the union of cultures, the diversity of backgrounds,
and the collaboration that aims to make the world a better place.

A Guide to the Rooms of THIMUN
VICKI LIU
John Burroughs
With over 3,000
people carefully separated into rooms throughout the World Forum,
it can only be expected
that personalities of each
room would soon de-

velop. These characteristics tend to be universal—repeating over and
over throughout a short
stroll through the Forum.
However, as one delegate
remarked, although the
stereotypes about each
room are very visible, the
people are all the same.

Cancelled Catastrophe
Max Enthoven
JFK BERLIN

W
AIS/Tamara Bastaki

e are facing
the end of the
world. If we do
the Mayans’ bidding, the
21st of December will
be the cataclysmic day
on which all life on this
earth will be eradicated.

It is safe to say that the
vast majority of people
are of the conviction that
this theory is bogus. Yet
an apocalypse seems
to loom ahead, as the
West’s economy is toppling due to the indecisiveness of politicians
in both North America
and Europe. This incertitude sparked the Oc-

GA1

- Intense
- Mostly male, and
mostly ambassadors
- Extremely cut-throat,
tends to favor putting
down resolutions rather
than cooperating to work
on them
cupy Wall Street movement in New York City;
if it will persuade Obama
and Congress to make
a change remains to be
seen, yet demonstrators might continue to
seek economic justice.
Obama must focus on
domestic issues with a
debt of fifteen trillion
US dollars, yet Iran and
North Korea still constitute a certain external

GA2

- Nice, funny chairs
- Usually at Madness

GA3

- Extremely serious
- Big egos
continued on page3

threat. At the same time
the political stagnation in
the United States is inevitable, and could pose
a relegation danger into
the lower ranks of rated
nations. Obama might
win a second term, yet
Republican Mitt Romney might take his office
in the White House.
continued on page 11

“Whoever they are, and whatever
they do, they can use MUN”
continued from page 1

T

aking part in an MUN
club, class or conference
can spark an interest in
politics that many former attendees choose to further at a
university level. International
Business, Political Science, International Relations, and International Development are
all popular courses of study
amongst THIMUN veterans. Many of these university
students continue their love
for MUN during University
as well. Caroline Greenfield
and Aisha Babalakin are both
THIMUN alumni who are
taking part in the North American Invitational Model United
Nations next month. Sebastian
Naranjo currently takes part
in the MUN Club at Nottingham University in China after
having attended THIMUN in
The Hague for three years in
a row.

According to John Gateley
from the Anatolia College in
Greece, many alumni of the
conference have gone on to
study at Harvard, Yale, Oxford and other top schools in
the US and UK. He describes
their memories of THIMUN
as being, “a wonderful experience and a stepping stone, not
only for CV’s for university but
for dealing with people.”
Beyond influencing the
choices former participants
make at university, THIMUN
can benefit people at a personal level, something confirmed
by previous conference attendee and current journalist for
the Independent on Sunday,
Oliver Poznanski. “THIMUN
was great, a truly inspiring experience that has marked me
[…] in more ways that I could
adequately convey via a quick
email. It got me over my fear

of public speaking (I was even
afraid squeak out my country’s
name during role call), it gave
me a deeper insight into UN
decision-making
processes,
demonstrated the need to listen and bite my tongue[…] The
experience propelled me to
participate in the Oxford and
New York MUNs and work
for the Red Cross (for which
I am currently studying for the
exam).”
Director Peter Parker
from the Academia Cotopaxi in Ecuador, agrees with
Poznanski on THIMUN aiding students with developing
themselves as individuals. He
believes that THIMUN furthers the development of interpersonal skills, self-reliance,
and ability to come to a consensus, problem solving and
public speaking.
Many former delegates

also return home and begin
contributing to their communities as a result of their experiences at THIMUN. Karin
Hoevermann, a THIMUN
director from the John F. Kennedy School in Berlin, lists an
architect among the former
students she has taken to THIMUN. This list also includes
an environmentalist currently
working in Bolivia, a student
volunteering in Peru during
her gap year, and a businessman who commutes between
Cairo and Berlin, involving
himself with the Egyptian
freedom fighters there. Hoevermann believes that these
former students are defined by
their success in what they do
all over the world, and, “whatever they do, they carry a conscience about being a member
of the global community.”

1. In Which Country Will You Find The Bay Of Pigs?
2. Addis Ababa Is The Capital Of Which African Country?
3. Which County Is Glastonbury In?
4. What Is An Anthracite?
5. “In Which Century Was The Canal Du Midi Opened, Connecting The Atlantic To The Mediterranean Sea ?”
6. What Scale Is Used To Measure The Intensity Of An Earthquake?
7. In what country is Mandalay?
8. Name the capital of Argentina.?
9. Where Is Sugar Loaf Mountain?
10. What was the capital of Ethiopia?

3A

LA THIMUÑA FRIDAY 27 JANUARY, 2012

conference news
Exploring the Personalities of THIMUN

Getting
to know
MUNEY
Bear

A guide to the rooms of
THIMUN
VICKY LIU
John Burroughs School

GA4:
•filled with very
small nations
GA1:
•extremely
cut-throat,
tends to favor putting down
resolutions rather than cooperating to work on them
•intense
•mostly male, and mostly
ambassadors

Sehkeena Deslorieux and Hannah Hemperly
Mont’Kiara IS

M

UNITY: Tell me
about yourself.
MUNEY: I am a polar bear
from The Hague. I was
adopted by Linda Dubock in
2010 when she saw me lonely
in a shop window and wanted
to give me a home! When she
told the shop-keeper how she
wanted to raffle me off for the
earthquake in Haiti that same
year, he gave me to her for
free! I was won in the raffle by
John Burroughs School in St.
Louis and it was then that my
adventures began! They take
me all around the world and I
get a new home each time we
travel to conferences.

Squirtle the Turtle, Delphina
the Dolphin and my grandson,
MUNEY III.

MUNITY: Have you ever
participated in a conference?
MUNEY: In THIMUN
Qatar, I was a delegate for the
very first time and I loved to
debate global issues! In other
conferences when I’m not
debating, I love to watch the
people that come from all over
the world to work with each
other to bring about peace
while making friends. It’s also
always nice to see delegates
buying raffle tickets for the
THIMUN charity. Last year
some of my friends were in
the raffle for the tsunami and
earthquake in Japan, and they
MUNITY: What do you like got brand new homes!
to do in your spare time?
MUNEY: I really like to MUNITY: How can we help
travel around the world with you today?
John Burroughs. I’ve been MUNEY: I would love it if you
to all kinds of THIMUN and everybody else could buy
conferences – three in The a raffle ticket to give homes to
Hague, one in Qatar, as well my friends from the seas and
as SLAMUN in St. Louis, oceans, Squirtle and Delphina,
Missouri. I also love spending along with MUNEY III.
time with my new friends, Buying a raffle-ticket means
giving money to Greenpeace,
an organization that is saving
our planet! One ticket is only
€0.50 and is easy to find in
the 2nd floor where all the
THIMUN merchandise is
sold. Please buy one and get
your chance to take home one
of my friends!
AIS KUWAIT / Tamara Bastaki

When you have been
surrounded by 3500
bright young people who
all display the same enthusiasm and interest
as you, returning back
to school can feel mundane. At THIMUN every day is different, the
debate is fast, and most
importantly, the banter is
unrivalled. On the contrary, at school the main
focus is to complete the
curriculum in order to
pass the exams that you

need to pass, each day
goes by unnoticed, and
lessons seem to last forever.
Daniel Henry, representing the Netherlands,
from the British School
in the Netherlands, poetically describes how
returning to normality
after the conference is
like, “waking up from a
dream and trying to fall
back into the wonderful
dream”. He continues
to explain that in order
to deal with this he reminisces about his “unforgettable experience that
will have hopefully developed [him] as a person”.

Raoul Herbert, representing Tunisia, from
the American International School of Johannesburg, complains that
returning home where
the people are “lame”
is horrible, and explains
that he automatically
uses the third person
when he talks to people;
something that takes a lot
of delegates a while to get
out of their system. The
only remedy for PTD,
he claims, is to get back
out there and “go to another conference as soon
as possible”.
Participants will also
miss meeting and debat-

And now for a laugh...

ing people who come
from all around the
world. Delegates state
that going back to school
where you see the same
old faces and are fed information all day long is
awful.
Sarah O’Brien from
the
Institute
Notre
Dame, seems to cling
onto the phenomenon
that is note passing in
MUN; in order to deal
with the disappointment
of returning, she writes
stories about how she
feels, so that it is “out
on bits of paper”. Lots
of other delegates describe how sad and de-

pressing returning from
THIMUN is; mainly
because they will not see
their new friends from
the conference until
next year, possibly never
again if they do not return to THIMUN. Delegates also grow fond of
the cobbled streets of
Den Haag and taking the
tram to get around. One
delegate seems to dread
the time when he can no
longer pretend to be a
sophisticated grown-up
by waking up early, putting on a suit, and going
into ‘work’ early.
Nevertheless, there
is light at the end of the

tunnel, with one delegate
anticipating all of the stories that he will be able to
tell his friends and family
when he gets home. Furthermore, at home delegates are sheltered from
the consistent attacking
of people’s resolutions,
thus giving them time
to regain strength and
faith in their own resolution writing abilities.
Yes, THIMUN XLIV
will end this afternoon,
but the experiences and
knowledge gained by all
participants in this year’s
conference will remain
with them for years to
come.

5A

LA THIMUÑA FRIDAY 27 JANUARY, 2012

conference news
In Sickness and In Health

My Hague plague
YASEMIN PARLAR and AURY NARANJO
LIS and IS PANAMA

H

achoo! I need to get a tissue.
Was it in the front pocket?
What is all this stuff? I should
really clean this purse out. Oh, here it is.
Hachoo hachoo! Now, everyone’s looking at me.
“Bless you.
“Thank you.”
Alright, Mika, just pretend like
you’re working.
“Do you have *ehm* note paper
*ehm*?”
What is happening to my voice?!
*Cough* Shoot, I’m getting sick. Oh, not
today. We were going to go out. Wait a
second, this sounds familiar. Could this
be that Hague Plague Mr Muner was
talking about? I should go to the hotel
after lunch and rest. *Cough*Yeah, I
really need some sleep. It’s good that I
wore a scarf today.
“Here’s your coat. Is there anything
else?”
“No, thank you, *cough cough*
that’s all.”
Oh, it’s freezing! Why is there
so much wind?! I’m not used to this.
Wow, I can see my breath. And it’s
raining?! Back at home it would never
be like this. 1: 23. My bus comes in
two minutes. IT IS SO COLD! Here

it comes. Splash. SERIOUSLY?! I’m
soaked. Today is not my day. I still
have some tissue left in my bag. Where
is it… where is it? Here it is. Wait. Wait.
Where’s the bus?! Did it leave already?
Are you kidding me?! It splashed me
AND left without me? What is wrong
with these buses?! Maybe I should just
walk. I think it’s that way, or maybe
that… You know what, I’ll just follow
the tram tracks! Tap. Tap. Tap. This is
torture. I should’ve listened to Mr Muner. Why did I wear heals?
--*Cough cough* Oh, I wish I
could stay in this bed forever. It’s so
warm. Come on, Mika, you have to
go. You’re in The Hague! Wow, head
rush. Alright, the shoes. Got the scarf,
the gloves. Ready to go. Oh, wait! Forgot the restaurant’s address. Here it is.
Hope I didn’t forget anything else.
Hachoo!
“You made it! You’re still
alive!”
“Barely…” *sniff*
Clink. Clank. Munch. Munch. Oh
this pasta is so good but it’s making
me thirsty! Gulp. Was I even drinking
coke? Oh no, I just took that person’s
drink. I don’t even know who he is.
That is GROSS. It’s so dim and crowded in here. Well, at least I didn’t use his
fork. Ugh.

C

an you imagine a MUN without
notes, without door staff, without
breaks, without chairs, without
alphabetical order changes or without
resolutions given out? All of these vital
duties are run by the Admin staff. They
really are the glue that holds this conference together. Their co-ordination
makes the conference run smoothly.
There is one leader for most forums at
THIMUN, and MUNITY was lucky to
catch the Head Admin of Human Right
Sub-Commission 2, Tim Pavwels, who,
in his everyday life, attends the British
School of the Netherlands.
Pavwels has been preparing for the
conference for four months. This is his
first THIMUN, a daunting experience,
and he has gained a world of knowledge
since Tuesday. Each morning he arrives
at 8am, and sets up the commission
for the day ahead. He replaces all the
signs that have been damaged, and he
is “requested by the chairs” to give out
resolutions. Throughout the day, he assigns roles, carries notes, screens notes
and rearranges the alphabetical order so
AIS KUWAIT/ Tamara Bastaki
each person gets a chance to be at the
front. Pavwels loves getting to organise Pavwels is all smiles on the penultithe commission. It’s up to Pavwels to mate day of the conference

relations:
THIMUN pickup lines
•Are you the delegate of China because I’m China get your number?
•Will you moderate my caucus?
•I motion to table the chair.
•The delegate would like to know
your position on the floor.
IS PANAMA / Nicole Novey

THIMUN gets sick

Brushed teeth. PJ’s on. Lights off.
21:06. Man, that’s early. Whatever, it’s
time I get some sleep. What a terrible
day! Got sick. Missed the bus. Walked
home soaking wet. Drank some guy’s
coke! It really wasn’t my day, but it was
an adventure. I still loved it just the way
it was.

•I’m Russian to ask you out
•Are you the delegate of Jamaica?
Because Jamaican me crazy.
•I Ecuador you.
•UN I are meant to be.
•Kenya meet me later?

A day in the life of the
Head of Admin
CHARLOTTE SMITH
ACS HILLINGDON

International

chose whether your notes get screened,
but don’t worry, he says it’s only around
four per day that are too risky.
Pavwels hasn’t participated in THIMUN in any other role, but he doesn’t
think he would change that fact. “Being
a delegate doesn’t really appeal to me.
It won’t help my future career;”Pavwels
added that he is an aspiring biologist.
So what is the difference between
being a regular admin and being a head?
First of all, Pavwels gets fewer breaks
than everyone else and is consistently
making sure everyone is working together. He needs to keep his team organized
and in order, particularly towards the
tiring end of the day. During debate he
will always be in the room, helping with
the note process, instead of other duties
such as door duty. The most stressful
part of his job is putting all the chairs
in alphabetical order, especially when
the two Human Rights commissions are
combined.
As the conference is coming to a
close, it is important to thank all the
people behind the scenes who kept
THIMUN sticking together from start
to end. We would just be a bunch of
kids in suits without them.

•Call me a panelist because I approve of you.
•I am not imMUNe to your charm
•Belize let me hold you.
•You’re my point of personal inquiry.
•I’m czeching you out.
•I like Djibouti.
•I’m your point of personal privilege.
•Hey, wanna merge?
•If I could rearrange the word
“THIMUN” I would put U and I
together.
•Let’s have an international affair.
•If THIMUN is all about foreign
exchange, let’s exchange some digits.
•Motion for a one-on-one unmoderated caucus.
And if those don´t work...
•But really, I’m desperate; will you
please go out with me?

6A

LA THIMUNA FRIDAY 27 JANUARY, 2012

THIMUN smiles

T h e fa c e s o f

7A

LA THIMUNA FRIDAY 27 JANUARY, 2012

THIMUN smiles

t

h

i

m

u

n

8A

LA THIMUÑA FRIDAY 27 JANUARY, 2012

conference news
THIMUN Action

General Assembly makes progress
ANNA BRADLEY-WEBB
AS Paris

T

he first committee of the General
Assembly was in
debate on the issue of
the removal of weapons
of mass destruction in

T

sessments of the state of
nuclear weapons. He
also addressed the posiLatin America. The del- tive aspects of nuclear
egate from Cuba spoke power, while expressing
about the importance of his hope that the comtransparency in this is- mittee would include
sue, and the importance ways to incorporate nuof having impartial as- clear energy for peaceful
purposes.

he second committee of the General Assembly spent much of
Thursday morning in heated
debate about the issue of
natural and man-made disaster relief. During a speech
by the delegate of Morocco,
delegates were quick to make
points of personal privilege
to the chairs when she began
to speak too loudly. She responded by telling them to
“act like delegates” and to
focus on her points rather
than her voice level. Because

T

he third committee of the General
Assembly was in
debate on an amendment to a clause addressing the polarizing issue
of legalizing prostitution.
The delegates were in
agreement that prostitution was a practice that
objectified women and

of the controversial nature
of the issue, the vote was so
close that the Chairs entertained a motion to divide the
house. The motion proceeded to fail by a small margin.
The Chairs reminded the
house that they had already
failed three resolutions and
needed at least one to debate in Plenary. Despite this
discouraging start, however,
Deputy Chair Emily Jürgens
was optimistic, saying that the
delegates were “very enthusiastic.”

that should be discouraged; however, they were
divided in their strategies
towards this end. One
delegate spoke about the
need to legalize prostitution in order to make it
safer for prostitutes, who
may be afraid to report
sexual abuse or violence
when their profession is

T

he fourth committee of the General
Assembly debated
the issue of self-determination for the people of Guam, an issue
that many believed was
among the most vital of
all the THIMUN issues

at stake. The United
States of America mainsubmitted a resolution
that would allow Guam
to choose its own course
of action and the future
of its government. This
resolution was strongly
supported by the dele-

T

Opening speeches

illegal, and allow them to
get the medical and psychological help they may
need. Others argued
that legalizing prostitution would de-stigmatize
it, and encourage others
to become prostitutes
and discourage current
prostitutes from looking
for other jobs.

T

LFVVG/Anna Soer

he fifth committee of the General
Assembly debated
the issue of the Western
Saharan people, who are
currently under the government of the Kingdom
of Morocco. The Moroccan delegate gave an
impassioned speech in
which he argued that these
people did not constitute a
plebiscite, and that to consider aiding them in gaining independence was dis-

he sixth committee of the General Assembly
spent much of Thursday morning debating the question of
the responsibility of
states for internationally wrongful acts. The
group was engaged in a
strong debate on a resolution main-submit-

gate of the World Bank,
who made a passionate
speech urging all to vote
for it. Debate was at
times difficult because
of the noise levels outside their room, but the
GA-4 still managed to
be productive.
respectful to Morocco’s
right to national sovereignty. Another delegate
countered that to refuse to
allow them plebiscite status was to deny their right
to self-determination, but
Morocco remained unconvinced.
Committee
Deputy Chair Rebecca
Katzy said they had had a
“very heated debate about
all of our issues”, and
called this debate “interesting and diverse.”

ted by the delegate of
Angola, who reminded
the delegates that this
was among the most
important issues at
stake in the conference
in that it precedes even
the United Nations itself. The Chair Essam
El Messiri was pleased
with the quality of his
committee’s participa-

tion. It has been “a
captivating display of
our delegates’ intellectual capacity and their
willingness to shape a
better world,” he said,
adding that despite the
great differences between nations’ views
they have succeeded in
passing “comprehensive resolutions.”

Advisory Panel
ECOSOC
debates water
pollution
T

It’s time for action: the Security Council

LAURA ANTUNA
Zurich IS

esterday, the Security Council
lobbied about
the conflict concerning
Syria. With China, Russia, Brazil, India, South
Africa, and Lebanon
against foreign military
intervention, The United States, the United
Kingdom, and Colombia were outnumbered
with their position supporting military intervention. Every country wanted peace and
stability for Syria, and
they all stated the need

Sekheena Deslorieux and Allison Shapiro

Mont’ Kiara and IS Heidelberg AHS

Y

esterday, during
the discussion
in ECOSOC,
the delegates discussed
the implementation of
quotas per country for
the purpose of limiting
pollution. The clause
submitted by Chile
strongly emphasized
the extensive waste that
numerous
countries
produce. With various
sub clauses, the clause
suggested that all countries impose financial
sanctions on countries

that fail to comply with
the primary clause. In
another sub clause, the
delegate of Chile urged
the prohibition of the
exchange of quotas
between countries in
terms of how many water pollutants a country can release, linking
with the movie which
was shown on Tuesday, “Into the Line.”
The room buzzed
as Admins hectically
passed notes from one
delegate to the other,
all of which were ready
to discuss the future of
this clause.

he
Advisory
Panel on the
Question of the
Mediterranean Region
spent its day in intense
debate, discussing heated issues. Rafia Miah,
the expert of Amnesty
International
from
Cairo American College claimed that it has
been a very productive
debate and all the experts are contributing
very creative ideas.
In the political group,
the nations of the Advisory Panel spent yesterday discussing the
control of migration in
the Mediterranean region. The experts discussed a clause on an

“integrated approach
to migration” including
free trade. Some nations worried that the
reduced tariffs would
hurt domestic industries.
Very happy with the
proceedings, Devyani
Gupta, the President
of the Advisory Panel
said, “The variety is
what adds to the dynamics of this committee.” David Leland
Brackett, the Deputy
President of the Advisory Panel from
SHAPE
American
High School said, “the
only thing I could ask
for is more time to debate.”

LAURA ANTUNA

Zurich IS

Y

for the Syrian government to respect human
rights. Most countries
emphasized that the
foreign military and the
United Nations should
not interfere, using the
example of Libya. On
the other hand, Colombia stated Syria’s
need for internal democracy with the help
of the United Nations.
With an atmosphere of
intensity dominating in
the room, the debate
on the final resolution
will display both positions in the Security
Council with much intensity.

9A

LA THIMUÑA FRIDAY 27 JANUARY, 2012

conference news
Welcoming Change

Cooperation by DPRK in EC2 could mean
great things for UN relationships

LFVVG /Anna Soer

After much deliberation, the resolution passes

Allie Miller
AS PARIS

W

ednesday,
Environment SubCommission
2, passed a resolution main
submitted by the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea
(DPRK) on preventing habitat
loss as a consequence of sea
level rising. Yes, this comes as

quite a shock to most involved
in MUN—DPRK is infamous
for its resistance to cooperation with the United Nations
and has sour relations with
many Western countries. So
how did DPRK do it? MUNITY asked DPRK and a few
other delegates in the commission for their opinions on the
matter.
DPRK was interested in
the issue because rising sea lev-

els would ruin their harbors,
thus hurting the economy, as
well as damaging the ecosystems along the coastline. Their
main arguments were the prevention of the sea level rising
itself which included reducing
CO2 emissions, and the use of
cost-effective barriers against
the rising sea in order to minimize environmental impact.
Though their presentation was
‘hostile’ and ‘nation specific’,
many delegates believed that
DPRK accurately defended
the aims of the resolution. The
Delegate of Germany stated,
“Germany was impressed
along with the majority of the
committee with the resolution
and, Germany being environmentally progressive, believed
this outweighed any personal
conflicts with DPRK.” The
delegate of China was also a
strong supporter of DPRK’s
efforts, saying that it’s, “really
a great step towards the cooperation of all the States,” and

“DPRK showed the UN that
they are ready to negotiate on
the issues which are crucial for
the whole world.”
Of course with praise
comes criticism, and this incident was no exception to
that rule. The United States
of America was disappointed
in DPRK’s speech which they
believed was an attack on them
rather than an effort to solve
the issue. They also believed
the resolution lacked serious
points including cooperation
between states. The Republic of Korea also viewed the
resolution negatively, noting
that DPRK would be receiving
non-transparent funds allowing alternative usages.
If these nations are able to
cooperate at THIMUN, what
does this mean for the real
UN? Will the DPRK’s new
leader, Kim Jong Un, have a
new position on foreign diplomacy? Will tensions between
the Koreas and the world

increase or decrease in the
coming years? At THIMUN
delegates of DPRK and South
Korea were able to comment
on the new leader.
DPRK affirmed, “The
Great Successor is following
in the Eternal President’s footsteps, further improving the
great nation of DPRK. The
UN is a floor to allow DPRK
to be heard, as rumors spread
by the USA and imperialist,
capitalist nations hold and
have caused grudges for us.”
The Republic of Korea,
however, has some concerns,
“The relationship between the
two countries has never been
easy, but we are getting a better look inside of the country
with recent media attention.
However, Kim Jong Un is a
‘military man’ and we feel he
is trying to prove himself to the
country somehow and we fear
he will instigate a conflict.”

Building bridges:

left, left, left-right-left
ALLI SHAPIRO
HEIDELBERG AIS

M

y father and I watch
war movies together. The walls of my
house are covered with paintings: the battles of the American Civil War, the trenches
of World War I, the Allies
storming Normandy Beach.
It is rare for my family to take
a vacation without spending a
few hours in a well-maintained
military cemetery. The military is my father’s passion and
career; he has served in U.S.
Army for over twenty years.
The U.S. military is supposedly an all-volunteer force,
yet every member of the family contributes to the mission.
Ever since I can remember,
my father has called out “January…February…” and I have
responded—sometimes ener-

getically, sometimes grudgingly—with “March.” As in march
out, get moving, follow orders,
Private.
I have lived in three
countries and attended nine
schools; that’s not much by
the standards of some people
here but is enough to be inconvenient. I have lived in
tiny American towns and wellknown international cities, in
a spacious marble apartment,
and a house built in the 1800s.
Now I am living on a military
base behind fences, surrounded by checkpoints and armed
guards. Almost everyone in
this miniature community is
American or works for the
American government in some
capacity. These people act as
a substitute family—everyone
really does know your business—except for the fact that

everyone works together. Military communities, despite their
warmth, are highly structured
according to rank. As odd
as it can be to hear a friend’s
parents call my father “sir” (or
vice versa), it becomes even
stranger when I consider the
tangle of security hoops, classified information and combat deployments that families
have to navigate. Despite this,
I cannot imagine living without
it. While I have lived in nonmilitary areas, I have never felt
as at home without the regulation tan buildings or deference
to ceremony.
Now that I am hurtling
toward my adulthood, I find
myself about to leave the culture of my birth, a culture as
real as any country’s. Unlike
other teenagers on the verge of
leaving home, I cannot really

go back. Once I finish school,
my time in the Army is over.
I do not get to take my identification card with me and
therefore can never return to
many of my childhood homes
or participate in any on-base
activities. Growing up with the
military has taught me to foster

discipline, maintain adventurousness and navigate as an individual through a regimented
world, all of which have helped
me at THIMUN. I can only
hope that what I have learned
with the Army will help me
once I have to leave it.

JOHN BURROUGHS SCHOOL / Vicky Liu

The military lifestyle changes a childhood and a person
forever.

10A

LA THIMUÑA FRIDAY 27 JANUARY, 2012

world news
Current Events and Future Worries

THIS TITLE HAS BEEN CENSORED
CHARLOTTE SMITH
ACS HILLINGDON

O

n October 26th 2011, the US
House of Representatives introduced one of the most controversial acts for our generation to date.
The Stop Online Piracy Act, commonly
referred to as SOPA, caused outrage and
uproar the world over, as it proposed
censorship of the Internet, to protect
“American creations and innovation,”
with emphasis on Hollywood films that
are often uploaded to the internet. Given the government’s recent shut down
of the video sharing website Megashare
and its affiliations, the future of Internet
freedom could be seriously damaged in
the upcoming weeks. Proposing to remove any website which uses material
from American cinema and music, the
bill will threaten the future of social networking websites, and even people outside the US will have their Internet censored if the bill is passed. Under SOPA,
you could get five years for uploading a
Michael Jackson song – that’s one more
year than the sentence for the doctor that
killed him.
The bill was heading towards a vote
in the Senate last Tuesday, but due to the
heavyweights of the Internet—Google,
Wikipedia and YouTube—as well as
many other smaller websites protesting
profusely, the bill has been ‘shelved’ until further notice.

Charlie Hill, a THIMUN delegate,
believes the bill “will not happen, as it
has to pass through the Senate and then
the president.” Another delegate Sitaria
Hajizada wondered, “why did they even
try”, given she sees the concept of censoring the Internet as completely “ridiculous”. Timothy Uwemedimo believes
that freedom is speech is important, and
that the bill “goes against the idea of the
internet”. As non-US citizens, he does
not “see how the US thinks they have the
right” to censor the Internet for the rest
of the world. Shannon Gardener and
Maddy Stewart, both American, believe
that “all they want to do is make more
money” and that it is guaranteed that the
US will “find loopholes” in attempt to
control more than the bill suggests. A
more understanding view of SOPA is
that of Aury Naranjo, who thinks that for
too long the public has had a “free ride,”
and that if we want Hollywood to continue making movies, we need to protect
their content more. While the bill may
be too extreme, strict regulations monitor plagiarism of other sources of information and the movie industry deserves
something similar to protect its work too.
Over 13 million people signed petitions during the blackouts on Wednesday 18th, but Rep. Lamar Smith still
has not stopped trying. As the next generation, our power regarding this issue is
getting stronger and stronger.

One earth, One home, One problem
MARIANA DOMINGUES
CAISL

T

he truth is, we only
have one Earth –
one place to call
‘home.’ From overpopulation, to greenhouse
gases, to pollution from
factories and cars, global
warming has made its
presence extremely clear
to the entire world.
According to Bernardo Branco, delegate of
Saudi Arabia in the Environmental Committee,
“This issue pertains especially to Holland, as the
city is at risk of submerging underwater in the next
half a century if sea levels
continue to rise.”
Are delegates even
aware of global warming’s
magnitude? Carrie Smith,
delegate of the Bahamas
in the Human Rights
Commission, affirms that
“people don’t seem to

realize the human rights
aspect of climate change,
because it affects people’s
right to life, and it’s not
solely an environmental
issue.” Smith also notes
that she co-submitted a
resolution that deals with
protecting those who have
been severely affected by
droughts, food shortages,
and merciless floods.
Smith mentions that, “In
some cases, complete islands become uninhabitable. Dry countries, small
islands, and low-lying
coastal areas are all greatly
affected.”
Ultimately, one cannot acquire proper solutions to an issue if intriguing and relevant ideas are
not brought up. In the
Environmental Committee, the delegate of DPRK
presented a resolution
suggesting methods to impede water from rising in
various regions.

A South African delegate explains that, “South
Africa is committed to a
sustainable future and reduction in emissions to
conserve marine biodiversity.” This representative
also believes that it is essential to promote movements towards renewable
technologies and a reduction in overconsumption
if countries are willing to
hinder the effects of climate change.
Ben Taplis, representing Mexico, informs us
that “global warming has
had adverse effects on
Pacific Island countries.
Bangladesh is predicted
to be mostly underwater
by 2060. Mexico has been
stressing the implementation of measures to prevent it.”
What will you do to
conserve the one place
you call ‘home’?

BRITISH SCHOOL IN THE NETHERLANDS / Thomas Clarkson

HIV/AIDS influence
spans worldwide
DINA FARAG
JFK Berlin

A

frica- Approximately 10 percent (5 million people) of
South Africa’s population is
suffering from HIV/AIDS. Although
South Africa has one of the world’s
highest HIV rates, the South African
government has been previously accused of ignoring this extensive epidemic. Yet, in 2009, President Jacob
Zuma enforced essential changes to
its AIDS policy that changed the lives
of many affected people. Due to this

new policy, the number of HIV infected individuals receiving live-saving anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs has
risen from 678,500 to 1.5 million, as
was published by the BBC. In addition, health minister Aaron Motsoaledi states that his department plans
to provide medication to the remaining patients who need them by 2014,
therefore hindering the epidemic to
spread exceedingly.

hina- The official estimate of
HIV/AIDS infected people in
China is about 725,000 with
an estimate of 70,000 new HIV cases
and 25,000 AIDS deaths each year.
Local as well as national governments
are hesitant to publish definite numbers concerning the epidemic, for
fear of discrimination. Many Chinese
people are unaware of the dangers

unprotected sex can entail, and in
1999 China’s first condom advertisement was banned just two days after
its release, because government officials had argued it was illegally promoting sex products. The ban was
lifted on World AIDS Day in 2002,
and condoms were reclassified by the
Ministry of Health as “a medical device” rather than a sex product.

ndia- Evolving later than other
countries, around 2.4 million
people are currently living with
HIV/AIDS, while in 2006, UNAIDS
(United Nations Aids Program) estimated that there were 5.6 million
people living with HIV in India.
Educating people about HIV/AIDS
in India is extremely complex, due

to the fact that a number of major
languages and hundreds of different
dialects are spoken within its population. Nevertheless, each state has its
own AIDS Prevention and Control
Society, which carries out local initiatives with guidance from NACO (National Aids Control Organization).

ussia- According to UNAIDS,
Russia and Ukraine are home
to over 90% of all HIV cases
in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
The majority of the people infected
with HIV/AIDS in Russia are young
workers, 80% of HIV infections being among 15-30 year olds. Nevertheless, Russia has a well-developed
HIV/AIDS infrastructure, including
the Federal AIDS Center that is in
charge of federal guidelines, seven

interregional AIDS centers, 88 regional AIDS centers, and a growing
number of municipal AIDS centers. According to the “HIV/ AIDS
Policy Framework and Implementation in Russia,” one of Russia’s main
ambitions concerning the prevention
of an expansion of HIV/AIDS is to
complete a “unified and national
HIV/AIDS strategy to prioritize programs among general population and
high-risk groups.”

xactly one year
ago on January 25,
2011, hundreds of
thousands of Egyptian
youth took to the streets
and sparked the start of
the first cyber revolution.
With the use of Facebook, Twitter and the
Internet in general, the
Egyptians were able to
bypass the corruption of
the previous government
in order to bring power to
the people. Eighteen days
later, Former President
Hosni Mubarak stepped
down, and the power has
been with the military ever
since. Although many
thought that the toppling
of Mubarak’s position
was a symbol of freedom
and future democracy
for the Egyptian people,
the Supreme Council of
Armed Forces (SCAF)
have sustained the regime and accusations
that the long-embedded
corruption of the system
are still apparent. Regarding the recent elections,
the Muslim Brotherhood
and the Salafists’ Nour
Party have won about
70%, leaving the Liberals
with the remaining 30%.
The new constitution and
presidential elections are
meant to come in the
near future.
Despite the current

setbacks in progress, the
Egyptian people have not
lost hope. Over 1 million gathered in Tahrir
Square this Wednesday
in honor of all those who
died for the cause in the
past year. This peaceful
and inspiring reunion affirms the hope that hovers over every Egyptian
both in the country and
abroad. According to
those in the Square, the
protests will not cease until their goals are met.
With over 60 delegates and several schools
coming from Egypt, we
asked a few participants
their opinions on the
current news. There is
an overwhelming sense
of pride and nationalism stemming from the
delegates as they watch
history in the making.
Although some delegates
are worried about the
timing of these events
and its repercussions on
the economy, not one
person denied their support for the revolution.
As Thomas L. Friedman
(New York Times reporter) stated in his article on
the revolution “Watching
Elephants Fly,” the only
thing we, international
citizens, can do is simply
“shut up and take notes,”
while we pensively wait to
see how rest of this revolution unfolds.

Cancelled Catastrophe
continued from page 1
Europe is staring into
a financial abyss, and only its
heavyweights Germany and
France are able to save the
single currency. Nicolas Sarkozy, president of France since
2007, may have to convince
the French people to vote
him instead of the left radical Francois Hollande, as, according to the majority of the
population, he did not fulfill
his promises made in the year
he got elected, such as “rewriting France’s social contract”.
Merkozy, Merkel and Sarkozy,
will have to wrap their minds
around what will happen,
when the euro crashes. Thus,
today’s leaders in Europe and
North America will be busy
at home, giving Japan and
China the opportunity to rise.
Within the borders of the
People’s Republic, inhabited
by 1.3 billion, the Chinese
New Year of the dragon maintained aspirations for growth.
As Mr. He Fan contended in
an interview with the New York
Times, “Something happens

in every Dragon Year, even if
it’s just a turning point”. In the
past years of the dragon, 1976,
1988, and 2000, major events
that changed the face of China
took place. In 1976 revolutionary leaders Mao Zedong and
Zhou Enlai died; 1988 was
symptomatic to the suppressed
pro-democracy
demonstrations in Beijing in 1989; and in
2000, Sino-American relations
were at its nadir. These claims
give China’s leaders hope that
something splendid will occur in the course of this year.
In July, the United Nations
conference “Rio+20” will address the issue of sustainable
development, a crucial issue for
the world’s economies. This
year, presidential elections’
results in the United States,
France, Russia, Egypt may generate policy changes and revolutionize the face of the world.
July and August will witness
the adventures and excitements
of the 30th summer Olympics
2012 in London. Athletes
might establish new world records and fascinate the millions
of audience.

Facebook
announced
that it would go public this
year, due to American regulations demanding the corporation to publish detailed
data about its financial performance with a certain amount
of shareholders. Also Google+
is a growing competition.
In science, hopes for finding a cure for cancer and revealing the mystery of the
Higgs Boson particle are rising.
Superstitions should not
keep us from focusing our attention on this year’s new
presidential elections in crucial
areas, China’s superiority potential, and the prevention of
a drastic Western recession.
Even though politics and the
economy will keep us preoccupied, new movies such as the
new Batman “The Dark Knight
Rises” and the new James
Bond “Skyfall” still give us a
purpose to live before humans
are wiped out off the surface of
the earth on December 21st.

2

WHAT DOES
THE FUTURE
HOLD?
IS PANAMA/ Nicole Novey

The secret life of the World Forum
HANNAH HEMPERLY
MONT’ KIARA IS

T

he World Forum is
the host of THIMUN
XLIV this year, full of
delegates, directors, chairs and
admin. But when THIMUN
is not here, there is even more
hustle and bustle.
It is a leading international
congress center in The Hague
based in The Hague World
Forum, the center of peace and
justice of the city. The Hague
World Forum is also home to
the Europot, KPMG – one of
the largest professional service
networks in the world-- the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

(ICTY) and the Organization
for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons (OPCW).
According to their website,
the World Forum is “dedicated
to making every meeting an exceptional event.” Recently, it
was the venue for the UN high
level conference on Afghanistan
with delegations from all over
the world attending – including
Hilary Clinton. Each year the
World Forum is also the setting
for conferences of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as
well as the OPCW. The United
Nations simulated conference,
THIMUN, has held its headquarters held here, a perfect
location for delegates imitating
debate.

Not only does the Forum
host programs that are UN related, but also several musicals
and plays. The theatre can hold
more than 5000 visitors at a time,
making it perfect for large shows
and presentations. With many
major national and international
performers on stage. Several
performances include the likes
of Hans Klok, the South African
singer Nadine, the LA voices,
The Hague Philharmonic, and
Saturday Night Fever!
From a multifunctional theatre to several conference rooms
The World Forum is the perfect
for any event. THIMUN has
found its home here and will remain in the years to come.